Monday, February 8, 2010

My mother is a great cook. I probably don’t get her enough credit; I don’t want her head to get too big. But she really is amazing; definitely one of the reasons I cook for a living. She taught me at a very young age the importance of home cooking and about using quality ingredients (local, organic beautiful ingredients). Enough bragging. She makes a mean chili. The key, great spices. Yes the quality of your spices makes a difference.

Black Bean and Hominy Chili

We like to soak our own black beans (Rancho Gordo of course) and hominy. But you could use canned. For the spices, toast your spices in a pan to release all the flavors. And add more to your liking. We get our spices from Tierra Vegetables at the SF Ferry Building Farmers Market.

1 medium onion diced

1 large can of tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic thinly sliced

2 red bell peppers (or one green, one red) diced

3 cups Black beans or 2 cans black beans

1 ½ cups Hominy

1 tablespoon Smoked onions (this gives it a nice smoky flavor, while being vegetarian. If you are not a vegetarian, you could use ham hock or bacon – or some delicious pork product of your choosing)

½ tsp. Cayenne gold

¼ tsp. Chili powder

½ tsp. Paprika

½ tsp. Cumin

Salt to taste

Garnishes:

Cilantro chopped

Grated Monterey jack cheese

Thinly sliced scallions

In a large pot, sweat the onion, garlic and pepper with a large pinch of salt and the toasted spices. When translucent, add the canned tomatoes, the beans (with liquid – if you cooked your own, keep the liquid and add about a cup). Add the hominy and the smoked onions. Let it simmer to let the spices and flavors meld, about an hour. Adjust seasoning. Serve and garnish with cilantro, scallions and Monterey jack. I also like crema, avocado, queso fresco or thin strips of tortilla chips.